Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Hit 'Em Head-On
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"Ptooey...!"
I immediately spat out the transparent liquid I'd just dipped my tongue into to taste. Even though it was only a tiny amount for testing, a revolting bloody stench filled my entire mouth.
"Ugh..."
A nauseating surge welled up from deep in my throat. I frantically grabbed tissues from the corner of the workbench and wiped my mouth, but the unpleasant, sticky sensation lingering on the tip of my tongue wouldn't fade.
'Crazy bastards.'
With trembling hands, I picked up the White Cell vial and poured it straight into the analysis beaker.
I dropped in a drop of silver-infused reagent and drew up my mana to slowly probe the substance.
Closing my eyes for a moment and focusing on the flow of mana, its true nature soon became clear.
"Just as I thought."
Sizzle—
The liquid reacted with the reagent, turning a faint blood-red as an eerie, alien mana wave rose like heat haze above it.
It was the type of wave commonly seen in healers. But this was far from normal.
'Too rough. And unstable.'
This was the state materials forcibly extracted from painfully slain monsters often took.
It seemed they'd forcibly drawn mana from healers, then concentrated it using blood as a medium to prevent dissipation.
"Ugh."
This wasn't medicine. It was something ground out of people.
'There have to be massive side effects from this.'
I couldn't fathom what they were thinking, flooding the market with something like this.
I rinsed my mouth once more and picked up my smartphone. With a heavy heart, I pressed the call button.
- Rabbitfoot.
The signal barely rang twice before Seo I-hyun's calm voice came through.
"Th-that... White Cell... I just analyzed it..."
I summarized my findings as best I could.
It was a long while before Seo I-hyun finally spoke in a low, sunken tone.
- I didn't think they'd stoop that low. It's beyond anything we imagined.
His voice dripped with contempt.
- For now, White Tiger's main thrust will be the 'Strategic Materials Management Special Act.' The surface justification sounds plausible: 'Potions are strategic assets tied to national security,' 'It's dangerous for an unverified company to monopolize them,' that sort of thing.
"......"
- The real aim of the bill seems to be the mandatory disclosure of production processes.
"D-disclosure? That's..."
- White Tiger is betting we won't disclose your alchemy, Rabbitfoot. If the bill passes, we'll be cornered.
"Ah."
- Refuse disclosure, and we become illegal overnight, halting operations. Disclose half-heartedly, and our tech—impossible to analyze with current methods—gets a failed verification or handed over on a platter.
"Th-then the White Cell is..."
- It looks more like a supporting tool for the whole scheme.
He continued without missing a beat, as if anticipating my question.
- Think of it as a buffer for public opinion. Hunter sentiment is already leaning our way. If this controversy makes it look like Rabbitfoot potions are disrupted? Massive backlash hits the government and White Tiger. White Cell acts as a shield, softening the blow by showing there's an alternative even without Rabbitfoot.
He paused to choose his words.
- Of course, per your analysis, White Cell isn't sustainable long-term. But that's irrelevant to White Tiger. They just need that short window until the special act passes.
"...So what do we do?"
- If my analysis is right, the counter is surprisingly simple. All their justifications hinge on White Tiger wearing the mask of a legitimate, moral entity.
"Rip off that mask..."
- Exactly. Logical rebuttals at the public hearing won't work. It's packed with their lobbyists. What we need is to expose White Cell—their touted alternative—as evidence of crime.
"......"
- The instant we do, their national security rhetoric crumbles, hunter fury pours onto White Tiger and the Association, the bill dies, and White Cell gets yanked from the market.
"Just release the analysis results... Oh, right, that won't work."
No matter how much I claimed it, Earth had no way to interpret or verify results from alchemy. It'd just sow confusion.
"Then find the victims directly..."
- That's the surest way. Locate the exploited healers and secure testimony. I'll think of something too.
Click.
The call ended. My head started throbbing.
How do I even find the victims?
'...Mana wave detection.'
The sample from White Cell contained unique healer mana waves.
Tracking it might reveal victim locations.
I grabbed the sample vial and headed straight to the guard post next to my workshop.
"Um, excuse me..."
Through the window, an old man leaning back in a worn chair, reading a thick book, turned his head familiarly.
Yoon Hyun, the S-rank mage from White Night Guild, now guarding my workshop.
"Alchemist. What brings you today?"
"Um, Grandpa..."
"Hm?"
"Th-this..."
I swallowed dryly and cautiously offered the sample vial.
"Can you... tr-track this mana wave?"
He glanced at the vial in my hand, closed his book, and spoke slowly.
"Residual mana. Tracking's possible. The problem is..."
"Pr-problem?"
"Yeah. There's a problem."
His gaze shifted outside the post, to the gate entrance.
"Listen, alchemist. I can't move right now."
"...Pardon?"
"They're watching my every move too. Unlike with the Healers' Union thugs—that was self-defense—if I step in now? Their S-rank won't sit idle."
"Th-their S-rank?"
"Yeah. Think White Tiger's No.1 for nothing? You'd get real inconvenient. I'm at my limit hiding your identity."
I can, but I shouldn't. That was his meaning.
"Of course, same for them. With my eyes wide open, they can't directly target your life."
I sank back into thought. My surest option blocked right in front of me.
"......"
Watching me silently, Grandpa Yoon Hyun let out a short sigh.
"Honestly, I'm saying this out of frustration."
"...Pardon?"
"With your skills, head to America and you'd be treated like royalty. No need to slog through mud with White Tiger trash in this tiny country. Going overseas is one path."
"O-overseas? But..."
The unexpected suggestion left me speechless.
"Up there's monster territory... Planes or sea routes..."
"That's nothing if I step in."
He cut me off simply. An S-rank mage could go anywhere.
'America?'
For a moment, it tempted me.
Run, and White Tiger becomes irrelevant. Sorry to Seo I-hyun and Yuna, but I had the Elixir—a bigger goal.
But the thought didn't last.
'Does running solve it?'
Even abroad, someone would covet my tech. Maybe bigger, more relentless than White Tiger.
With zero combat power, parasites would appear anywhere.
'Better to...'
White Tiger was Korea's top guild.
If I could crush them and the Association they leeched onto this time?
No one left in-country to touch me. With my solid base now, it felt like the chance.
I looked up at Grandpa Yoon Hyun.
"Even an Awakened like you... didn't go to America."
"I hate hassle."
"M-me too... I don't wanna leave the workshop..."
I gripped the sample vial tighter.
"And."
"And?"
"Th-the ones who started shit first... I can't stand leaving them unscathed."
At my answer, Yoon Hyun stared, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Hah."
Soon, he burst into a chuckle.
Back at the workshop, I stood before the workbench.
No outside help. I'd do it myself.
I pulled up the Alchemy Gallery right away. I needed a way to track mana waves.
'Found it.'
[Mana Resonance Compass]
But my expression hardened as I read the description. This wasn't pure alchemy.
A kind of magic tool. Using an alchemy catalyst to trigger magic.
No choice. I checked the required magic theory section.
And.
"...What the hell is this."
Unfamiliar letters and formulas utterly alien to alchemy greeted me.
"Whew..."
It said the difficulty wasn't too high. Study slowly, and I'd manage.
I copied the theory into a notebook as best I could, then clutched my aching head and dissected it step by step.
How much time passed?
"...?"
I looked up at the prickling gaze from beside me.
Chun-sik was propping his chin, peering intently at my copied notes.
'Uh...'
For a split second, his usual antics flashed in my mind.
Following along with alchemy well, and above all, solving math problems out of boredom.
"...Chun-sik."
"?"
On a hunch, I slid the notebook toward him.
"Wanna give this a try?"